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South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences
On-line version ISSN 2222-3436
Print version ISSN 1015-8812
S. Afr. j. econ. manag. sci. vol.16 n.3 Pretoria Jan. 2013
The role of internal and external factors on management students' subject choices
David AL Coldwell; Chris W Callaghan
School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
The aim of the study is to investigate undergraduates' perceptions of the comparative worth/utility of studying Business Science disciplines at a prominent South African University in terms of: (i) internal factors comprising aptitudes, values and interests; and (ii) external factors comprising job attractiveness (job prospects, earning potential, non-salary benefits and work-life balance), and (iii) university and discipline academic reputations. The study utilises a specifically designed instrument to measure internal and external factors impinging on career choice. A purposive non-random sample, consisting of 130 second and third year students in Human Resource Management (HRM) and Management, is used. Findings suggest that, while perceptions of aspects of careers, such as job and career prospects generally dominate the choice of major subjects, students studying HRM majors hold community orientated values that distinguish them from their peers. Many students are found to make choices primarily on the basis of their perceptions of 'external factors', rather than their interests. The findings are discussed in terms of extant theory and potential practical outcomes.
Keywords: Schein, Gottfredson, student perceptions, major subject choice, business science, education
1 Introduction
The human resources management career literature indicates that changes in the structure of organisations have implications for the individuals' career development and career choices (Super, 1980; Brousseau, Driver, Eneroth & Larsson, 1996; King, 2004; Schein, 1996). The increasing importance of knowledge work requires further research on the development knowledge workers' careers (Van Staden & Du Toit, 2011) and the conceptions of careers have expanded to encompass both work and non-work related factors (King, 2004). Furthermore, "careers have a personal as well as a vocational meaning for many people; a complete picture of career self-management needs to consider people's aspirations for their lives outside work" (King, 2004:117). Knowledge of student perceptions of the learning process in contemporary tertiary education is an increasingly important area of research (Beckman & Rayner, 2011; Henige, 2011; Keller, Parker & Chen, 2011) as it can contribute to improvements in both teaching and learning (Henige, 2011; Tudor, Penlington & McDowell, 2010). Intrinsic factors specific to the individual, such as self-esteem, can: "influence employability attributes significantly" (Potgieter, 2012:13). This body of career literature reveals the increasing importance of individual perceptions and goals in career choice.
2 Purpose and objectives of the study
Although a voluminous literature now exists within Human Resources Management on the burgeoning new development of Career Management as a separate discipline in its own right, the current study returns to some of the founding fathers of the Career Management discipline to gain a clearer insight into the fundamentals of career selection. Gottfredson (1981) suggests that individuals perceive career barriers and on the basis of specific perceptions of these barriers compromise occurs. However, Swanson and Tokar (1991) question Gottfredson (1981) and argue that although barriers might be perceived as insurmountable by some, others may regard them as merely challenging. Thus, a tension exists between these conceptions. Gottfredson (1981) suggests that if goals and goal-associated behaviour are adjusted on the basis of perceptions of real life aspects of a career, clearer relationships would be expected between such perceptions and the choice of a major subject at university. Gottfredson (1981) maintains that individual career aspirations develop through a process of 'circumscription' in which an increasingly refined understanding about oneself and the world of work points to specific careers and occupations.
Similarly, Schein (1996) suggests that an individual, at some point of the career /self-management process, will typically begin to make choices related to the pursuit of particular careers. Schein (1996) suggests that the tension between the 'external career' and the 'internal career' brings about certain fundamental shifts in the nature of career choice and development.
Career decisions made prior to entry into a career are considered to be particularly important. The major subject or subjects taken at a higher education level in preparation for employment, can be regarded as indicative of the individual's choice prior to their entry into a career. The 'internal career' "involves a subjective sense of where one is going in one's work life, in contrast to the 'external career,' or the formal stages and roles defined by organisational policies and societal concepts of what an individual can expect in the occupational structure" (Schein, 1996:80). An individual's self-concept is the basis of a 'career anchor', that maintains consistency in a career (Schein, 1996). "A person's career anchor is his or her self-concept, consisting of: 1) self-perceived talents and abilities, 2) basic values, and, most importantly, 3) the evolved sense of motives and needs as they pertain to the career" (Schein, 1996:80). A further differentiation is stressed regarding the core interests of individuals that underpin their career anchors. These core interest anchors are: financial or remuneration interest, job interest and service or community contribution.
To the authors' knowledge, no research has been conducted into the relationship between the individual's perceptions of Schein's (1996) career anchors and subject choices in the South African higher education context. It is maintained that knowledge about the interface between perceptions and career choices is especially salient at certain stages of an individual's career and unrealistic career expectations can result in employee dissatisfaction (Granrose & Portwood, 1987). The stage at which an individual first decides to take a specific major subject at University impacts significantly on an individual's subsequent career trajectory. However, a challenge exists with regard to subjective career choices at this point of an individual's development. "Most of us are not aware of our career anchors until we are forced to make choices pertaining to self-development, family or career" yet it is "important to become aware of them so that we can choose wisely when choices have to be made", (Schein, 1996:80).
The paper also interrogates Gottfredson's (1981) theory of 'circumscription' by investigating second and third year business science undergraduate students' perceptions of market, personal and institutional factors, and aims to contribute to the literature by testing the conflicting theoretical conceptions of Swanson and Tokar (1991) on the one hand and Gottfredson's (1981) on the other. In a nutshell, the overriding objective of the research is to investigate the career related perceptions of students and how these perceptions influence the choice of major subjects in an academic context. This is achieved by obtaining insight into student perceptions of business science majors and the resulting career aligned choices in terms of attractiveness (Soutar & Turner, 2002), personal factors (Gottfredson, 1981; Harvey-Beavis & Robinson, 2000) and institutional factors (Baldwin, 1994).
3 Problem investigated
If individual career choices are made based on perceptions of 'external' or job related factors rather than the 'internal' factors of aptitudes, interests and values, a misalignment of students' career aspirations may occur. This misalignment could prove wasteful for the country and could generate poorly job fitted individuals with low job satisfaction and productivity. The current research attempts to investigate the nature of the relationship between such 'external' and 'internal' factors in academic major subject choice.
The following research questions are posed:
- To what extent are self-perceptions of aptitudes, values and interests, or 'internal' factors, part of an individual's core career anchor and choice of a specific major subject?
- What specific self-perceptions of 'external' job related factors are associated with the choice of particular career majors?
Individual perceptions that influence major subject choices are usually related to an individual's specific set of interests and values. According to Schwartz (2007), an individual's values are derived from a motivational infrastructure that draws from physiological, psychological and social needs. An individual's specific values endowment is associated with behaviour consistent with those values (Schwartz, 2007). An individual's interests are therefore expected to reflect core individual values.
Perceptions are framed by an individual's subjective experience of the world.
Thus, a further research question is posed:
- What career perceptions are associated with specific job interest anchors?
Development of the hypotheses
The hypotheses are generated in accordance with the 'internal' and 'external' factor dimensions mentioned above. However, before stating these formally, a brief explanation is warranted of how they were derived from the literature.
A career is "the evolving sequence of a person's work experience over time" and career theory is "the body of all generalisable theory attempts to explain career phenomena" (Arthur, Hall & Lawrence, 1989:8/9). Arthur et al. (1989) stress the multidisciplinary nature of career theory.
Career theory has traditionally been dominated by the perspective that career outcomes, for both organisations and individuals, are best achieved through an alignment between the "individual's characteristics and the demands, requirements, and rewards of the organisational environment" (Betz, Fitzgerald & Hill, 1989: 26). Theory and research findings associated with this perspective have focussed on individual trait differences in relation to career selection (Betz et al., 1989).
One aspect of trait-factor theory concerns individual abilities, such as verbal, numerical, and spacial abilities (Betz et al., 1989). Swanson and Tokar (1991) found common factors to be associated with student concerns about career barriers, such as those related to their ability and job market availability. On the basis of a review of the career literature, Betz et al. (1989) point to research findings that indicate that five to fifteen percent of the variance in performance is explained by ability. Thus, it seems reasonable to expect that individuals include perceptions of aptitudes in their career decisions. The following hypothesis (shown in the form of its null hypothesis) is generated to test this 'internal' factor aspect:
Hoa: There is a significant difference between perceptions of aptitude by major academic field subject choice.
Evidence supports the link between individual interests and job satisfaction and tenure in careers (Betz et al., 1989). Needs, values and preferences relate to intrinsic or extrinsic outcomes associated with a career choice (Betz et al., 1989). Mismatches between the individual and the characteristics of a job associated with a particular career are related to dissatisfaction and turnover (Betz et al., 1989).
Betz et al. (1989) argue that the theory of work adjustment is the most comprehensive of the trait-factor theories. A central tenet of this theory is that work adjustment on the job is a function of two employee characteristics: satisfactoriness and satisfaction in an interactional relationship with the work environment (Betz et al., 1989). Satisfactoriness, or the successful performance of job responsibilities, is a function of an individual's abilities and the ability requirements of the job (Betz et al., 1989). Satisfaction is a function of the alignment between an individual's vocational needs and values with the work environment (Betz et al., 1989). Abilities and aptitudes are significant aspects of career theory, but also salient are an individual's vocational needs and values.
An individual often makes career choices based on interests and values, which are typically underpinned by motivations (Schwartz, 1992; 2007).
Three potential career anchor dimensions are investigated in this paper: financial interest orientation, job related interest orientation and service interest orientation. The following 'internal' factor hypothesis is derived from the current body of literature available on the subject:
Hob: There is a significant difference between career anchor interests by major academic field subject choice.
Further support for the inclusion of the dimensions of these interests is offered by Holland's (1973) theory. According to Holland (1973), vocational satisfaction, stability and achievement are dependent upon an alignment between an individual's personality and the working environment.
Congruence between an individual's personality and the work environment will lead to increased tenure, and the environment isl also expected to exert an influence upon the individual towards congruence (Betz et al., 1989).
Career barriers have typically been considered to fall into two types: external, such as wages or discrimination and internal, such as motivation or psychological aspects (Swanson & Tokar, 1991).
Swanson and Tokar (1991:96) investigated student perceptions of career barriers, and categorised these as: 1) social/interpersonal barriers or "barriers regarding one's family of origin and future marriage and children"; 2) attitudinal barriers defined as "self-concept, interests, and attitudes toward work"; and 3) interactional barriers which are related to demographic characteristics, education, experience and the working environment.
An interaction between these internal factors and perceived career- related obstacles in the socio-economic environment is expected to influence career decisions (Gottfredson, 1981). As career barriers are experienced, individuals compromise their goals (Gottfredson, 1981). For Gottfredson (1981) the weaker self concepts face modification before deeper rooted self-concepts, such as gender, are affected. An individual recognises and responds to different career barriers in the interaction between self-concept and environment (Gottfredson, 1981). Thus, goal adjustment will occur on the basis of an individual's perception of self and the socio-economic environment. Differences between career and major subject choice will be expected to be associated with differences in underlying career related perceptions.
Job prospect perceptions, specific career prospects, specific non-salary work benefits, career specific work-life balance, academic field and programme factors are considered 'external factors'. To test these aspects, the following hypotheses are generated. Each is shown in the form of the null hypothesis.
H0c: There is no significant difference between perceptions of external career factors and major academic field subject choice.
H0d: There is no significant difference between perceptions of the relative merit of the academic programme and major academic field subject choice.
H0e: There is no significant association between perceptions of 'external' career perceptions and 'internal' career job interest career anchors.
The latter hypothesis is included in order to better understand the relationship between 'external' and 'internal' factors tested.
5 Research Methodology
The study utilises an exploratory quantitative (numerical) cross sectional (i.e. measurements are taken at one point in time) research design and is 'causal' in so far as it tests specific hypotheses, and the problem is structured (Ghauri & Gronhaug, 2002).
5.1 Sample
The sampling procedure consists of a non-random purposive sample aimed at involving all second and third year students studying HRM and Management in the School of Economic and Business Sciences willing to participate in the study. Participation was voluntary and confidential. Second and third year students in HRM and Management were considered, of which130 out of 355 possible students comprised the sample. Over a third of the students completed the questionnaire.
The study incorporates a specially developed questionnaire that uses both ten-point semantic differential items and items arranged on a five point Likert-type scale. Likert-type scales ranging from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree', were developed and taken to represent interval data and differences were scaled with equal increments (Stevens, 1946). A ten- point semantic differential scale ranging from 'very poor' to 'excellent' was used for perceptions of personal aptitudes and aspects of university programmes.
The questionnaire incorporates five sections: biographical information, perceptions of market demand, personal work interests and values, perceptions of aptitudes and perceptions of academic programs.
5.1.1 Details of the respondents
Fifty-seven percent were female. The proportions and numbers of students with Information Systems, Marketing, Finance, Management, Insurance and Risk and HRM majors are reported in Table 1.
Students were typically registered for between one and three majors. Three majors were reported by 10.4 percent of the students. Older students are found to choose HRM and Psychology and younger students Economics as major subjects and certain commonalities were found in subject choice combinations.
5.2 Statistical analyses
The Statistical analyses involve descriptive and inferential techniques including: reliability analysis, factor analysis, frequencies and calculations of central tendency, correlations and tests of differences by groups. The IBM SPSS statistics 20 package, together with SAS statistical software, was used throughout the research analysis. A univariate analysis gave insight into the central tendency and the dispersion characteristics of the data. Histogram plots were checked for normality. The research included both parametric and non parametric tests. Where non normality in the data was identified non parametric measures were used. ANOVA and t-test procedures were included as part of the initial research process and a univariate analysis was undertaken to check their appropriateness. Distribution plots, such as the probability-probability (P-P) and quantile-quantile (Q-Q) plots, were visually checked. Outliers from the lines generated were noted, and shape differences subjected to further univariate numerical analysis. Descriptive tests for skewness and kurtosis were applied. Data that reflected skewness values that differed from zero, either to the right or to the left, and kurtosis values different from the value of three were investigated further. Skewness and kurtosis statistics for the entire set of variables were obtained. The Shapiro and Wilk test W statistic was used for each of the non binary variables. Data with values away from one or closer to zero were identified for further analysis in terms of normality. The sample size of the study (n=130) fell into the range considered appropriate for the Shapiro-Wilk test, that being between 7-2000 data points. Tests of central tendency: the mean, median and mode values were calculated. In the case of a disagreement between the Shapiro-Wilk and the Kolmogorov significance results, the former were accepted. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test of the D statistic was also applied. The SAS procedures also offered the Cramer-von Mises and Anderson-Darling tests. If the KS test results conflicted with these latter tests, this discrepancy is identified and reported. However, in none of the tests was such a discrepancy evident. SAS was used for the descriptive statistics reporting and the P-P and Q-Q plots. All the tested variables showed variation from the P-P and the Q-Q plot lines to some extent, except for the variables entitled 'work life balance for marketing', 'work life balance for finance', 'financial interest orientation' and ' job interest orientation'. The interquartile ranges of the variables were also inspected. On the basis of the univariate testing, relatively few of the items were found to have an underlying distribution approaching acceptable levels of normality. On the basis of this evidence, non parametric alternative tests were used.
Appropriate measures were used for analysing nominal data (Stevens, 1946). Kendall's Tau B measures were used for this purpose.
Parametric tests were excluded on the basis of the univariate evidence which indicated that many of the variables obtained non-normal distributions. Thus, hypotheses a to d are tested using the Mann Whitney test and Hypothesis e is tested with Kendall Tau correlations.
5.3 Measuring instrument: reliability and validity
5.3.1 Reliability of the external and internal factors' measuring instruments
Several 'rules of thumb' for Cronbach alpha coefficients have been put forward by various authors. George and Mallery (2003:231) state that coefficient sizes range from > .9 (Excellent) to >.8 (Good), and from >.7 (Acceptable) to >.6 (Questionable); with >.5 (Poor) to <.4 (Unacceptable).
Nunnally (1967:226) however, suggests a minimum internal consistency score of .5 as rule of thumb convention for exploratory studies. The Cronbach alpha value for the four job interest scale items was .54. The alpha value for the four financial interest items was .70. The alpha value for the four 'contribution to society' items was .814. These internal consistency coefficients are considered acceptable for an exploratory study.
5.3.2 Validity of the internal factor 'interest' measuring instrument
Responses associated with the twelve core interest anchor items were subjected to a factor analysis using a principle components analysis. The assumptions underlying the exploratory factor analysis were checked. Scatterplots were run to check the assumption of linearity. However, it was not possible to ascertain a clear linear pattern in many of the plots. Pearson correlations revealed the presence of inter-item correlations between these items, with these correlations being >.5. The anti-image correlation matrix diagonals reported values of well over .5. In terms of further tests of measures of sampling adequacy (MSA), the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value was found to be .792, which was greater than the required level of .5, and Bartlett's test of sphericity was found to return an approximate Chi-Square value of 364.191 at 66 degrees of freedom. The Bartlett's test statistic was found to be significant. On the basis of these tests, sampling adequacy was accepted and the analysis was taken to meet the requirements of factorability. A varimax rotation with Kaiser Normalisation was used. These tests were performed using SPSS. The factor solution for the SPSS analysis is shown in Table 2. The ideal typical ratio of 20:1 for cases per item was not met, as 12 items were used with 130 cases. The ratio of cases to items was 10.83:1. This ratio exceeds the reasonable cut-off level for exploratory factor analysis of about 5:1.
The rotated three factor solution is shown in Table 2. This table reports the component loadings together with the communalities (h2) and the total variance, percentage of variance explained and cumulative percentage of variance explained in the components. The scale items loaded in a manner consistent with the original conceptualisations and the interpreted simple structure achieved in the factor loadings.
Table 2 indicates that Factor 1 comprised all of the 'contribution to society' items. Factor 2 comprised all of the 'financial interest' orientation items and all the items of the 'job itself' interest orientation loaded on Factor 3. Table 2 shows that over half the variance (55.9 per cent) is explained by the first three components (these component's eigenvalues are >1). Each of the five hypotheses (a to e) is described in detail in relation to the findings in section 6. For hypotheses a to d, aptitude endowments; internal career anchor interests; external career factors such as job prospects, earnings potential, career prospects, non-salary benefits and work life benefits; and qualification component are tested for differences by groups. Groups comprised of students with each major in specific combinations. Hypothesis e, which relates to the relationships between internal career anchor interests and external career factors, is tested using an associative measure.
6 Discussion of the findings in relation to the hypotheses
The results are discussed in relation to the 'internal' and 'external' factor hypotheses. The 'internal' factor hypotheses are discussed first, followed by the external hypotheses.
6.1 Discussion of the findings in relation to the 'internal' hypotheses
H0a: There is no significant difference between perceptions of aptitude by major academic field subject choice.
Table 3 presents significant Mann-Whitney U test associations between perceptions of aptitude endowments and interest anchors on major subject choice
With regard to Hypothesis H0a the Mann-Whitney tests indicate that individuals choosing Marketing as a major subject have relatively lower self-perceptions of numerical aptitude (Table 3). The reverse is found for Finance and Economics. And HRM majors hold higher self-perceptions of verbal aptitude. These results are unsurprising given the more quantitative focus of the Finance and Economics curricula and the verbal focus of the HRM curriculum. Self-perceptions of spacial aptitude are not significantly associated with any major subject choice. Gottfredson's (1991) argument supports these findings since career choices are adjusted on self-assessments of fit between aptitudes and specific career demands. On the basis of the 'minimum criterion', the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted.
Hob: There is α significant difference between career anchor interests by major academic field subject choice.
Table 3 indicates that no significant association was found between financial orientation and choice of major subject. This was surprising, as extrinsic (financial) motivation was expected to influence career choice. It may be that a security/stability aspect to students studying business science majors is more evident than purely financial because the current high levels of unemployment emphasise security and stability of employment rather than pure financial reward. This is taken to support Gottfredson's (1981) basic idea of career negotiation in response to changing circumstances. Schein's (1996) argument that an individual's goals, underpinned by an individual's core career anchor, will become the strongest influence upon his/her career decisions, and over time may also be evident as many current students appear to look to degree qualifications as a ticket out of their impoverished socioeconomic backgrounds.
The only significant association between job-related interest and the choice of a major subject is found to be with IS (Table 3). This indicates that interest in IS may be a fundamental driver of this particular career choice. The absence of significance between interests and the other major subject choices suggests that such choices are not primarily made on the basis of job interest. These findings seem to indicate, in line with Gottfredson (1981) that perceptions of core career related differences are more strongly associated with academic major subject choice than with job interest per se.
Table 3 also indicates that community interest (contribution to society) is associated with HRM as a major subject, which supports Schein's (1996) sense of service or dedication to a cause career anchor. Thus, although most evidence appears to support Gottfredson's (1981) notion of gradual adjustment and negotiation of appropriate careers over time, for HRM majors there seems to be an underlying career anchor guiding individuals to select this specialisation. On the basis of the 'minimum criterion', the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted.
6.2 Discussion of the findings in relation to the 'external' hypotheses
H0c: There is no significant difference between perceptions of external career factors by major academic field subject choice.
Table 4 indicates hypothesis H0c, which is discussed in terms of the 'external' dimensions of: job prospects, future earning potential, career prospects. Non-salary benefits and work-life balance aspects of this hypothesis are discussed in relation to the Mann-Whitney test findings displayed in Table 5.
Job prospects
Mann-Whitney test results, as indicated in Table 4, suggest a general correspondence between the external factor component perceptions of job prospects and the choice of each major subject, except Management and Insurance & Risk Management. The latter were, however, found to indicate higher perceptions of job prospects for Finance. Economics as a major subject was included in certain of the analyses in order to gain further insight into extant relationships. Marketing students perceived Insurance & Risk to offer fewer job prospects. Students with Economics as a major were found to perceive that IS and HRM offer less in terms of job prospects. Thus, the statistically significant associations between the perceptions students have of job prospects and their major subject choices appear to support Gottfredson's (1981) theory. All business science major students, with the exception of Management, exhibit a statistically significant association between perceptions of job prospects in their field and their choice of a major subject associated with such a field. A possible reason for this exception, is that Management is a more generic skill that does not qualify an individual for a specific professional role.
Future earnings potential
The perceptions of students with Economics and Psychology as major subjects were included for completeness. Individuals with Economics majors perceived IS, Marketing and HRM to have relatively low earning potential. IS, Marketing and HRM majors perceived their career streams to offer relatively high earning potential. However, Finance, Management and IR majors were not significantly associated with perceptions of higher relative career earning potential. Psychology majors also perceived HRM as a high earning potential career stream. These results are taken to give general support to Gottfredson's (1981) hypothesis; that the process of confronting career perceptions leads to adjustments in career choices.
Career prospects
Career prospects typically relate to a broader range of work opportunities than do job prospects. It is expected that the core career anchor of an individual will emerge more strongly over time (Schein, 1996). Certain major subjects maybe perceived to provide more long-term opportunities for certain students. Mann-Whitney test results (Table 4) show that IS, Marketing, Management, and HRM majors each perceived their career prospects to be relatively high.
Gottfredson's (1981) hypothesis seems to be supported in these findings as the majority of subject majors are significantly associated with perceptions of specific career prospects.
Table 5 indicates the findings relating to non-salary benefits and work/life balance external factors pertaining to hypothesis H0c.
Non salary work benefits
Individuals with IS, Marketing and HRM are found to have perceptions of high non-salary benefits associated with their career streams (Table 5). Of the non business science students, Economics majors perceived Marketing to have relatively lower levels of non-salary benefits. These significant associations are also taken to support Gottfredson's (1981) hypothesis.
Work-life balance
HRM majors perceive lower levels of work life balance to be associated with a career in Marketing (Table 5). There is little evidence suggesting that students adjust their goals and choose subject majors on the basis of work-life balance (Gottfredson, 1981).
On the basis of these significant associations, the null hypothesis is rejected and Gottfredson's (1981) hypothesis of dynamic career adjustment is supported.
H0d: There is no significant difference between perceptions of the relative merit of the academic programme by major academic field subject choice.
Table 6 shows the findings of Mann-Whitney tests relating to hypothesis Hod
Table 6 indicates that HRM majors perceived the status of the university's HRM qualifycation and curriculum content positively. Management majors, however, perceived the opposite. Economics majors perceived the HRM curriculum negatively while Psychology majors perceived it positively. IS majors had lower perceptions of the school's status as a whole. Thus the null hypothesis is rejected.
H0e: There is no significant association between perceptions of 'external' career perceptions and 'internal' career job interest career anchors.
This hypothesis was derived from the third research question: what career perceptions are associated with specific job interest anchors? It relates to both internal and external factor dimensions.
Table 7 indicates the findings relating to this hypothesis.
Table 7 shows that students with a financial job interest have lower perceptions of the earning potential of IR and the career potential of IS and IR. A financial job interest is not found to be associated with any particular aptitude, nor any positive perception of career-major associations. An interest with the job itself is positively related to perceptions of higher job prospects in IS and a higher earning potential as well as career prospects in HRM. Community service orientation is associated with perceptions of higher job, career and earning prospects for IS, and higher career prospects for HRM. A community service orientation was found to be positively associated with an interest in the job itself and the HRM, and negatively associated with a financial interest orientation. The central concern of individuals with a financial job interest seems to be framed negatively with regard to the earning prospects and career prospects of other fields. This may reflect some aspect of the associations between career perceptions and value orientation (Schwartz, 1992). Individuals with a job interest and community service orientation are positively and primarily focused on IS and HRM respectively. This suggests a congruency of values between these majors and the values of service and job interest as career anchors. Congruence between individual needs or interests and job characteristics is expected to result in greater job involvement (Govender & Perumasur, 2010). In general, Gottfredson's (1981) thesis is supported by these findings. On the basis of these results the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted.
On the basis of the results of the tested hypotheses, students' perceptions of career prospects and earning potential appear to dominate the underlying interest in the job itself and of specific major-career associations.
7 Conclusion
The findings tentatively suggest that consonance in the scores of tests to establish the perceptions of real job aspects of careers by majors across the board support Gottfredson's (1981) hypothesis of progressively negotiated career anchors. The almost total absence of dissonance between perceived aptitudes and major subjecst chosen contests Swanson and Tokar's (1991) notion of choosing a career as a 'challenge' rather than as a dynamic and negotiated adjustment over time. Students who chose HRM as a major, in particular appear to have career aspirations most aligned with internal personal factors relating to self-perceptions of aptitudes, values and interests.
Finance majors perceived the career prospects of other majors negatively. Job interest and service were found to frame perceptions positively among IS and HRM majors.
In terms of external factors, the findings suggest that self perceptions of aptitudes underpinning particular academic major choices are broadly consonant with the perceptions of job prospects, earning potential, career prospects, non salary work benefits, and work life balance perceptions of specific careers. And, perceptions of aptitudes appear to be particularly important in major/career selection. In general, the evidence supports Gottfredson's (1981) hypothesis that self-perceptions generate adjustments in the selection of particular careers. Schein's (1996) evolutionary perspective of a process of negotiation and discovery of core career anchors is thus vicariously supported by the findings.
In very general terms, the findings suggest that students select majors that underpin particular business careers on the basis of perceived aptitudes; perceived job, earning and career prospects and,; more tentatively, the career anchors of security/stability (Finance, Economics, Insurance & Risk Management, Marketing), technical/functional competence (IS and Management), entrepreneurial creativity (Management) and service/dedication to a cause (HRM).
Students selecting Finance, as well as Economics and Insurance & Risk Management appear to have security and stability anchors, possibly arising from specific socio-economic circumstances and the prevailing high unemployment rate in South Africa. These potentially financially rewarding specialisations are chosen by students to find a way out of the precarious socio-economic conditions many of them currently face. This is an overriding goal that may subordinate personal interest in the job itself. Those with lesser numerical and/or verbal aptitudes perhaps see their career objectives more in terms of interest in the job itself (IS) and service/dedication to a cause.
In an exploratory study of this type, there are bound to be limitations in the research process. In this case, perhaps the most prominent is that the study is limited to an investigation of business science majors at one university. The sample is also quite small and is not selected randomly from the population of business science students (although given its proportionate size, it seems reasonable to consider it representative of that population).
The study is cross sectional and is thus limited to perceptions of students at one point in time. A longitudinal cohort analysis of student career aspirations on the basis of particular self- perceptions and changing market and/or institutional factors would present more powerful empirical evidence for testing Gottfredson's (1981) theory of circumscription.
The study is restricted to the use of exploratory type statistical procedures involving exploratory factor and item analyses to test the validity and reliability of the measuring instruments. The empirical data analysis also adopts statistical techniques that aim to expose underlying associations between the selected variables defined by the hypotheses, thus necessitating a number of exploratory initial hypotheses. The establishment of the particular associations discovered in the analyses enhance the possibility of generating a model that has an empirically verified structure defined by more refined statistical techniques, such as those provided by structural equation modeling.
The exploratory findings also suggest that further research could fruitfully be applied to an analysis of the mechanisms of nascent career choice by university students selecting particular business science and other majors at other universities. This may best be conducted using a structural equation statistical analysis built from the basic model provided in the current exploratory analysis. Moreover, a longitudinal rather than a cross sectional analysis could be used to plot students' career negotiation processes as they unfold. Possible outcomes of such research would include aiding students in selecting appropriate careers by studying majors more in line with internal personal interests and attributes than external market and/or institutional factors; generating the prospect of career satisfaction and industrial employment stability and productivity.
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GHAURI, P. & GRONHAUG, K. 2002. Research methods in business studies. Prentice Hall: Harlow. [ Links ]
GOTTFREDSON, L.S. 1981. Circumscription and compromise: A developmental theory of occupational aspirations. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 28:545-579. [ Links ]
GOVENDER, S. & PARUMASUR, S.B. 2010. The relationship between employee motivation and job involvement. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 13(3):237-253. [ Links ]
GRANROSE, C.S. & PORTWOOD, J.D. 1987. Matching Individual career plans and organizational career management. The Academy of Management Journal, 30(4):699-720. [ Links ]
HARVEY-BEAVIS, A. & ROBINSON, 2000. Views and influences: Tertiary education, secondary students and their advisers. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs. [ Links ]
HENIGE, K. 2011. Undergraduate student attitudes and perceptions toward low- and high- level inquiry exercise physiology teaching laboratory experiences. Advanced Physiology Education, 35:197-205. [ Links ]
HOLLAND, J.L. 1973. Making vocational choices. Prentice Hall; Englewood Cliffs. International Journal of Education Management, 16(1):40-45. [ Links ]
KELLER, S., PARKER, C.M. & CHEN, C. 2011. Employability skills: student perceptions of an IS final year capstone subject. Available at: http://www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk/italics/vol10iss2.htm [accessed 2012-7-30]. [ Links ]
KING, Z. 2004. Career self-management: Its nature, causes and consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65:12-133. [ Links ]
NUNNALLY, T. 1967. Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill. [ Links ]
POTGIETER, I. 2012. The relationship between the self-esteem and employability attributes of postgraduate business management students. SA Journal of Human Resources Management/SA Tydskrif vir Menslikehulpbronbestuur, 10(2), Art. #419. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v10i2.419 [accessed 2012-7-30]. [ Links ]
SCHEIN, E. H. 1996. Career anchors revisited: implications for career development in the 21st century. The Academy of Management Executive, 10(4):80-88. [ Links ]
SCHWARTZ, S. H. 1992. Universals in the content and structure of values: Theory and empirical tests in 20 countries. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental and social psychology (25:1-65). New York: Academic Press. [ Links ]
SCHWARTZ, S.H. 2007. Value orientations-measurement, antecedents and consequences across nations. in Jowell, R. (ed.) Measuring attitudes cross-nationally. Lessons from the European Social Survey. Los Angeles: Sage. [ Links ]
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Accepted: March 2013


text: The Imbel is an excellent quality receiver. I had no issues when building an Imbel kit on an Imbel receiver. The para version of the Fal uses a different recoil system and top cover. The receiver is also cut slightly different to allow the use of the para top cover that contains the recoil spring. DSA and others have a top cover out there that will allow you to put a para stock/lower on a standard upper. And yes you can put metric on metric, and even inch on metric and vise versa as long as you use a complete group. For example you can put a inch lower on a metric gun, but all the parts in the lower need to be inch. You can put an inch barrel on a metric gun, but all the gas system needs to be inch and vise versa.

subset: commoncrawl


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No, really:
Apparently, some company is devoted to providing... erm... "strap-on" hardware that can affix signage to posts.
So, aside from NOT being able to make stuff like this up, I'd have never seen it from inside a car.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
It Straps On!
No, really:
9 comments:
- Tacticus said...
I wonder if that sort of strap setup would work on smaller posts approx 80mm dia
Also where can i find raptor warning signs
- February 18, 2009 12:31 AM
- Sirrus Rider said...
"Strap-on" "Strap-off" "The Strapper" :)
- February 18, 2009 6:58 AM
- MRMacrum said...
I always thought surgically implanted velcro would be better than strap ons when heavy traffic indicated that changing the signs would help with the flow.
- February 18, 2009 8:30 AM
- Aaron Plank said...
Raptor warning sign can be found here.
- February 18, 2009 2:44 PM
- Noah said...
On a funny side-note, the guy who kick-started the sign-hacking stuff is local, and a good friend of mine.
- February 18, 2009 2:47 PM
Every since becoming a full-time cyclist/pedestrian I'm noticing all sorts of oddities.
There's a trailer park adjacent to where I work. In the 11 years I've been here I've never noticed it, but I did when I walked past it.
We have excellent sidewalks with handicap friendly ramps leading to an auto parts store and a self-serve car wash. The retirement home, dental offices, doctor's office, and pharmacy do not. Please explain that one to me.
- February 18, 2009 3:26 PM
I am the Web Master for It Straps On, Inc. and I wanted to say thanks for the shout on your Blog. Also in answer to Tacticus about the 80mm sign strapping if he will go to isostainless.com he should find his answer.
Gil Heuss
"My experience has taught me that a man who has no vices has damned few virtues." Attributed to A. Lincoln
- February 19, 2009 12:28 PM
- Noah said...
I must admit, your company has a unique, entertaining and quite accurate name. Thanks for taking the time to swing by!
- February 19, 2009 12:34 PM
Hi, My name is Melody and I am a salesperson at It Straps On, Inc. Oddly enough the owner and I are big into biking. Luckily we live in southeastern Louisiana and have been fortunate enough to ride all winter long. There was one day when it snowed here and we didn't ride. We have had to dodge a lot of dogs lately. Nothing is perfect. Thanks for the blog. (this is my first)
- February 19, 2009 2:07 PM
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By leaving a link or e-mail address in my comments (including your blogger profile or website URL), you acknowledge that the published comment and associated links will be available to the public and that they will likely be clicked on.


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Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Star of MTV's The Hills Heidi Montag appeared on The Alex Jones Show today with her fellow co-star husband Spencer Pratt to discuss how some nightclubs are introducing implantable identification microchips to allow customers to access VIP areas. Montag told Jones, "You would have to kill me before I get a chip."
Montag said that as a Christian she had always been aware of "the mark of the beast" and the content of the book of Revelations but over the last month she and her husband had arrived at a "new awakening" concerning what is going on in the world after one of her music producers showed them Alex Jones' latest documentary The Obama Deception.
"You would have to kill me before I get a chip, that would never happen," said Montag, referring to implantable microchips.
"The fact that people are even already OK with this is sickening, I could throw up right now," she added, "A chip? are we dogs? Not even dogs deserve chips."
"It says in the bible that it's the mark of the beast and that is a sign of worshipping the devil – so over my dead body would I ever get a chip in my body," said Montag, adding, "My body belongs to Jesus Christ, to God alone, and no one will ever put anything in me, I will not worship the devil, I will not be conformed to this world, that will not happen."
The subject of implantable microchips has vehemently left the realm of paranoia and is now a major concern as governments around the world prepare to roll out national ID cards which many fear could be replaced by mandatory implantable chips in the not too distant future.
Media interest surrounding the issue spiked in 2002 when the Jacobs family of Boca Raton, Florida, were all implanted with a Verichip containing their personal information for health and security reasons, as well as because the son Derek fantasized "about merging humans and machines". NBC News' Today Show even broadcast live footage of the family being surgically implanted with their chips.
In 2004, MSNBC reported that the Mexican attorney general and his staff of 160 people had "been implanted with microchips that get them access to secure areas of their headquarters."
In August 2007, the Department of Defense announced that they were pursuing a "brain-implantable "biochip" that will measure/relay a soldier's vitals on the battlefield," a project said to be five years from completion.
As we have previously highlighted, the promotion of microchips not just from a safety or military aspect but in the context of popular culture is starting to gain serious momentum.
The most recent example comes from Yahoo Tech, which this week rehashed a 5 year old story about an implantable microchip being required to access the VIP area of a cool nightclub in Barcelona, as well as being used in place of a credit card to pay for drinks.
The story emphasizes how taking the chip is used to "free customers of the burdens of having to carry their purses or wallets" and "makes sense".
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


text:
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance PGPMI 2015
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance PGPMI 2015
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance announced the launch of a six-month certification program called PGPMI. It is a specialised management programme focusing on the insurance industry.
The programme has been designed to train and develop skilled professionals, with in-depth knowledge of the industry along with the managerial abilities.
PGPMI, is a full time program comprising a blend of theoretical and practical inputs aimed at providing enhanced career opportunities to young graduates. It is specifically designed to train them in the nuances of the business and prepare them to succeed in life insurance industry.
Eligibility :
* Graduates with 50% marks (any stream) and/ or
* Experience < 20 months Selection Process: ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company would be selecting candidates across the country through an assessment process conducted by our selection partners, TMI First / 2COM. The selected candidates will then undergo the 1 year PGPMI course. The organization will offer employment in the Sales function as Executive Trainees subject to completion of the course. This course is designed with extremely stringent evaluation mechanisms at various intervals to ensure that it helps build the student's confidence, knowledge, skills & attitudes and develops him/ her into becoming superior Insurance Sales professionals. For further information about the course and registration details, kindly e-mail us at: firstname.lastname@example.com. For more information visit : http://www.iciciprulife.com/public/Others/PGPMI.html


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The Application of Ecological Sanitation for Excreta Disposal in Disaster Relief: Experience, Selection and Design; 2012.
Katherine Kinsted. Institute of Wastewater Management and Water Protection.
When responding to an emergency situation, ensuring safe excreta disposal is an urgent priority in the disaster relief effort. Aid organizations typically dig trench or pit latrines, but in some challenging environments, different methods such as ecological sanitation (Ecosan) must be employed. Ecosan is sanitation methods and technologies which promote the safe reuse rather than the disposal of excreta. Currently, Ecosan is mostly implemented in disaster relief for flood-prone areas and locations where excavation is not possible. In addition to meeting the sanitation needs of the affected population, Ecosan can be implemented to allow added benefits such as nutrient recovery, reforestation, and to help begin post-disaster recovery and the transition to peaceful and sustainable development.
Several examples of disaster relief situations where Ecosan methods are employed are investigated. Statistics about these case studies are presented along with successful and challenging aspects of the implementation. Four forms of Ecosan, urine diverting dehydration toilets (UDDT), Arborloo, biodegradable bags and composting toilets are discussed in six countries (Bolivia, Haiti, Chad, Philippines, New Zealand and Bangladesh). UDDTs had the widest extent of implementation and their flexible design makes them a good option for areas where excavation is difficult or there is a high chance of groundwater pollution (such as in flood prone regions). The composting processes offer the best success with reuse of excreta material as compost. Unfortunately though, these processes were quite complicated and do not necessary provide groundwater protection. The Arborloo provided a simpler solution with resource reuse, but this design is unfortunately not appropriate in regions where either excavation is not possible or where high groundwater is present. The Peepoo solution has shown itself to be successful in the preliminary trials, but the design still has many challenges such as cost effectiveness and user-friendliness.


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What is one of the most popular questions asked in our area? What trees grow best in our area is one of the most asked questions. From traveling over the last several years through the Golden Plains area, we have a good variety of tree species that do well throughout our area. But to determine what grows best in your landscape, it is recommended to do a soil test and determine the exposure of the location you wish to plant a tree. These two factors have the most bearing on how well the tree will do. When these two factors are the most compatible to the tree's requirements, your tree will have a healthy start and with any unforeseen environmental stresses will stay healthy.
Bur oaks are one of those trees. But no one wants to wait a lifetime to see it grow even to a decent height of 20 feet. Bur oaks have the largest acorns of all the native oaks according to the National Forest Service. This tree is easy to grow. It grows on dry uplands and sandy plains or fertile limestone soils and moist bottomlands. The bur oak wood is a hardwood and is marketed as white oak.
The bur oak's range is vast. It grows in eastern United States and the Great Plains. It is the most drought resistant of all the North American oaks. After this summer's drought and heat, you need a tree that can endure. Bur oaks have been known to hybridize with nine other oak species. These are white, swamp white, gambel, overcup, swamp chestnut, chinkapin, English, post and live oak.
Littleleaf linden trees are moderately drought tolerant in comparison to bur oaks. The littleleaf linden can grow to about 60 feet high by 40 feet wide. They have a wide range of soil where they will grow well. Sandy soil, loam, clay, acidic, alkaline, well-drained and occasionally wet. Other than being susceptible to verticillium wilt, littleleaf lindens do not have any serious diseases. Many trees are susceptible to verticillium wilt particularly maples. Verticillium wilt can cause dieback of branches and death to the entire tree. This is a soil-borne fungus. Once inside the tree this fungus blocks the conductive tissue so that water cannot flow through the limb(s) and then wilts. The tree may have other symptoms beforehand such as slow growth, small yellow foliage, and scorching and heavy seed crops as chronic symptoms. Acute symptoms can be leaf curling, drying, red or yellow between the leaf veins, wilting and dieback. Powdery mildew and anthracnose are leaf diseases and can be easily controlled. Powdery mildew is a white coating caused by a fungus on the leaf. Anthracnose is also a fungus which has a red-purple margin around a tan/brown area.
The American sentry linden is a smaller size linden which can grow to 40 feet high and 25 feet wide with a narrow straight trunk. All Lindens share in the characteristic where their limbs tend to droop or curve towards the ground, especially the lower limbs.
A lot of people favor the honeylocust. The most popular is the thornless honeylocust 'Shademaster' which gets to a height of 50′ with a width of 40′. People favor these types of trees because they are fast growing and want the shade to cover their yard quickly. However, there is a down side of a short-life span and weak limbs. Weak limbed trees do not withstand ice and snow storms or high winds. But despite this fact, the honeylocust has been used for windbreaks. And lucky for us with our alkaline soils, honeylocust do well in soils with a pH of 6.0 to 8.0. Honeylocust are also used for erosion control. This tree has become so widely used that it is used as a replacement for the American elm.
Another, better replacement for the American elm is Zelkova serrata. The Japanese Zelkova is also in the elm family and is rated as hardy in zone 5. I have seen only one of these in our area and it is growing in town in Burlington.
If you have lots of honeylocust and own a farm or ranch, your cattle and/or hogs may readily eat the fruits of honeylocust. The honeylocust is in the legume family and produces long bean pods at the end of the season. The beans in these pods contain about 12 to 13 percent protein. Other livestock will eat the young vegetative growth according to the National Forest Service. There is a high competition for the fruits since gray squirrels, fox squirrels, white-tailed deer, bobwhite, starlings, crows and opossum feed on these fruits as well.
Other trees to consider are trees in the Plant Select® Program. A smaller tree that does well in our area is a Russian hawthorn, Crataegus ambigua . This tree will be stay in the height range of 12 to 24 feet with a width of 6 to 12 feet. It requires moderate to xeric water. It will grow in soils that are sand, clay or loam. This tree has attractive bark, foliage and flowers. The fruit which is eaten by birds is a red fruit in the fall. The leaves have a golden color in fall.
The Seven-Son Flower, Heptacodium miconioides is another small tree with a height ranging from 12 to 20 feet with a width of eight to 15 feet. The water requirement is moderate. The soil requirement is sandy or loam soil. The best attraction for this tree is the fragrant white flowers that bloom late in summer and then the persistent cherry-red sepals in the fall. This is a fast-growing tree. This is unusual member of the honeysuckle family which is very adaptable in a wide range of climates. This tree is not native, but collected at Hangzhou Botanical Garden during the 1980 Sino-American Expedition.
Lastly, another Plant Select® tree, Clear Creek® Golden Yellowhorn, Xanthoceras sorbifolium 'Psgan' will grow to a height of 18 to 22 feet and a width of 10 to 15 feet. The water requirement is moderate to xeric. The soil requirement is garden loam, clay or sandy soil. This has white flowers with yellow centers that turn maroon. The leaves are ferny. The tree/shrub develops into a vase-shaped habit. This is especially hardy. This strain was developed at Green Acres Nursery in Golden. This is a fast-growing tree.
With this small selection of trees listed in this article, they can make a spectacular landscape. The more variation you add in your landscape, the better the chance will be to keep your landscape healthy and not be devastated when a host or disease comes along and wipes out the only variety of tree you planted such as the elm.


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899,99 zł
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Free - On Google Play
899,99 zł
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180,00 zł
1.799,99 zł
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POSTYR is a premium Danish fashion brand that offers impeccable style essentials and stand-out seasonal statement pieces. Every piece is a blend of quality material and unique design. Their looks are apt and on point for any social occasion.
The first teaser collection contains a range of dresses, tops, skirts and trousers for every occasion, it simply depends on how you style it. Glam up your POSTYR dress with a piece of statement jewellery or dress it down with a pair of crispy white sneakers and an oversized cardigan.
The hand painted items are some of the true eyecatchers of this season's collection. You can choose to layer the dress and the trousers for a full-print look, but they still make a statement when worn separately. The wide legged jeans are a true favourite. Combine the jeans with the POSTYR tee and you're ready to go.


text:
Item Description
Senate Executive Documents, 34th Congress, 3rd session, Report of the Secretary of War
Author: No authors specified.
Date: May 23, 1856 - November 12, 1856
Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War, submitted a number of documents in his report to the President that was submitted to the "Two Houses of Congress" on December 2, 1856. There were three sections of documents. Part 1 consisted of letters from the Secretary of War (Davis) and the Adjutant General ( S. Cooper) (pp. 27--35) to Colonel E.V. Sumner, General P. F. Smith, the governors of Kentucky and Illinois, and Major Emery, in relation to a militia force to be employed to aid the legitimate Territorial Government in Kansas Territory. Part 2 (pp.35--61) contained various reports from Colonel E. V. Sumner, commaning officer of the 1st Cavalry at Fort Leavenworth about events in Kansas. The reports include correspondence from Wilson Shannon, territorial governor, and various officers of the 1st Cavalry from Lecompton, Tecumseh, and other locations in the territory. Part 3 (pp. 62-146) was headed "Reports for the Department of the West" and included correspondence from various military officers about the activities of United States troops at various locations in Kansas Territory. This section contained several letters from Daniel Woodson and John Geary, territorial officials. A few non-Kansas items relating to dealings with Native Americans were interspersed among the Kansas Territory correspondence.
Location of Original: KSHS Call Number: Serial Document No. 876
Item Number: 102836 Number of images: 119
Keywords: Border disputes and warfare; Cooke, Philip St. George; Davis, Jefferson; Deas, George; Douglas County, Kansas Territory; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Territory; Free state activities; Geary, John White, 1819-1873; Lecompton, Kansas Territory; Military; Sackett, Delos B.; Sedgwick, John; Shannon, Wilson, 1802-1877; Smith, Persifer F.; Sumner, Edwin Vose, 1835-1912; Woodson, Daniel
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1919 Religious Art Nouveau Vintage Austria Secession Poster
PRINTED BY: Secession Graphische, Kunstanstalt, GMBH, Wein VIII, also marked Kurs Fur Jugendkunst, Kunstgewerbeschule, Wein (German name for Vienna)
AGE: 1919, dated, lithograph
CONDITION: B, Linen Mounted, some border nicks and mild creasing,
a very beautiful early and rare piece, displays beautifully!
Artist: signed Bella Vichon, IM, Februar 1919 (age 15 years old)
Note: This is not a reprint, but an original.
A lovely angelic spiritual and historical biblical poster of Jesus Christ blessing the children and animals by well known art nouveau artist, Bella Vichon at age 15. The poster is simple, graphic and beautiful, with light purple litho background and book illustrator type drawings of children, dogs, dog, or animal and Jesus Christ with halo, a beautiful serene scene.
This is a beautiful Austria piece in person, actually we find it stunning, and ready for framing. We have never seen another. The poster is archivally linen backed and ready for framing. We only have this one.
Size: 36.5 x 24 inches
You'll deal directly with gallery owner Debra in your purchase: USPS Priority Shipping is FREE in US, Reduced rate for International USPS Priority shipping. We have a 100% approval policy. We want you to be happy with your poster purchase. A signed COA (Certificate of Authenticity) is included with each poster purchase. Debra has been selling original vintage antique posters on the web since 1995. We do not sell reproductions, only authentic antique posters.


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Animal Print Facebook Covers and Animal Print Timeline Covers for Facebook
Welcome to the Animal Print facebook covers page. Now that you've chosen a category of timeline covers that you're interested in, it's as simple as browsing for the Animal Print facebook cover you're looking for, then following the instructions. Remember to tell your friends where they can find the best tumblr layouts around, which is here at SnazzySpace.com of course!


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Hello, can anyone recommend a top board suitable for weak knees and soft landings?
I'm looking for an all-round freeride board light in weight, with a soft flex and a good concave for soft landings and shock absorption. I'd like the board to have a smooth ride in choppy waters (and no spray!) as this is the main condition when I ride a tt, otherwise I'm on my surfboard.
Many thanks!


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The parade route of CelticFest Vancouver (7th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade) will start at Howe & Drake and will proceed north along Howe Street to Georgia Street. The parade will then turn right on Georgia and will end at Georgia and Granville Streets. Before and after the parade, visit the festival's Celtic Village where there'll be lots of free Celtic performances, Celtic treasures and family-friendly activities throughout the weekend.
More information and parade map on http://www.celticfestvancouver.com/parade.php


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The Central Connecticut football program and head coach Pete Rossomando have unveiled a 12-game schedule for the 2014 season that features six home games at Arute Field.
The 2014 schedule features six non-conference opponents and a six game Northeast Conference slate. The six non-conference opponents represent four different conferences, including three programs from the Colonial Athletic Association.
"We are really excited about the 12-game schedule for the 2014 season," Rossomando said. "The opportunity to play 12 regular season contests is special and to be able to balance the schedule in regards to home and away contests is excellent. It is going to be great getting to play in front of our fans at Arute Field six times this fall."
The Rossomando Era starts with an early season test at 2013 national runner-up Towson of the CAA. The Blue Devils and Tigers have met on the football field eight times with the last meeting coming in the opening game of the 2007 season. Towson, which finished last season #2 in the nation, holds a 6-2 edge in the all-time series.
The second week of the season brings the 2014 Home Opener and a visit from CAA member Albany. The Great Danes hold a 12-6 advantage in the all-time series between these programs, but CCSU won last year's meeting 20-17 at Albany.
A visit to Patriot League member Holy Cross on September 13 and Ivy League institution Dartmouth on September 20 will follow the home opener. CCSU has little history with either program as the Blue Devils met Holy Cross on the football field for the first time in 2013 and will be playing the inaugural game against Dartmouth this fall.
On Sept. 27 the Blue Devils will host their second CAA member of the season when Rhode Island visits Arute Field. The Blue Devils and Rams will be meeting on the football field for the fourth time.
After an off week, CCSU will host Duquesne to open the NEC schedule. The Blue Devils will host the Dukes on Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 11.
CCSU will also host Wagner and Sacred Heart for NEC games at Arute Field this season. The Blue Devils and Seahawks will square off on Oct. 25 and the defending NEC Champion Pioneers will travel to New Britain on Nov. 8.
CCSU will play NEC road games at Robert Morris on Oct. 18, at Bryant on Nov. 1 and at St. Francis U in the regular season finale on Nov. 22.
The final home game and non-conference game of the season will come on Nov. 15 as Howard University of the MEAC visits CCSU. The game will be the first all-time meeting between the Blue Devils and the Bison.
"Our schedule is going to challenge us. We are going to test ourselves against teams from some of the best conferences in the nation over the first five weeks of the season," Rossomando added. "Those games will prepare us for the NEC games in the second half of the season."
The 2014 season will see the Blue Devils play 12 games for the third time in program history (2009, 2013, 2014) and play six home games for the first time since the 2007 season.
All CCSU football games are available live on Fox Sports Radio 1410 and through iHeartRadio. All home games and NEC games are also available to watch - free of charge - on NECFrontRow.com.
*Schedule is subject to change


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Reviewed by:gbstereo. (AudioPhile)
Review Date August 17, 2009
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
I was due for a new CD player and deided to compare the Cambridge Azur 840 and the Shanling CD300. I borrowed both from different Audio stores and on the advice of the Cambridge dealer let it burn in for 2 days.
I first listened to the Azur extensivly to get familiar with the "sound". I then compared it to my set up ( Phillips 963 SE w/ MSB Link Dac "Full Nelson" edition w/MSB out board power supply). The Azur did not sound any better or different than my Phillips set up. I was some what taken aback at this after hearing all the hipe in the audio rags " equals the sound of $5000 dollar CD players etc.".
Then I set up the Shanling, same cables etc. and could not believe how much better it sounded than the Cambridge! Bigger sound stage, more open sounding, more well defined bass and smoother. The Azur sounded more "Hi-Fi", the Shanling much more real. With upsampling set to 24/192 it was no contest ( the Azur upsamples to 24/384 if memory serves corrrect and that's how I auditioned it).
I am a professional muscian and am very in tune with "live" music, jazz and fusion to name a few. With the Shanling cymbals sound like the real thing, on the Barber CD referred in the previuos review the upright bass has lots of wood in the sound, the drums very real sounding and Patricia's vocals and keyboards exceptional!
I believe the 300 with its tubed output stage and balanced outs (for an intermediate priced player)is definately worth a listen! I bought this player "new", not from a grey market source and have owened it for almost 2 years now and no problems!.
My system consists of: MG 1.6QR's, Cary SLP-308 Pre-amp, highly modified Hafler DH-220 ( aka Musical concepts P3-C boards, Black Gate caps, torodial transformer and Cardas binding posts). Speaker cables: Paul Speltz " Anti-Cables, Kimber "Silver-Streak" inter-connects, Shyunata Taipa and Kimber Power Cords and Monster HTS-1000 power conditioner. The description as written for the CD300 is absolutely true.
The Shanling CD-300 is highly recommended!
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Is it allergies or a cold?
Colds & allergies share many of the same symptoms, so it can be hard to tell if you're coming down with something or suffering from allergies. Here's how to tell some of the differences so you can find the right relief.
Some symptoms like sneezing, coughing, sore throat & headaches are common in both allergies & colds.
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Stebo ft. Zed Zilla - Home Run [DJ QuinnRaynor Submitted]
Official video for "Home Run" from Stebo's Out The Pocket mixtape hosted by Bigga Rankin. Follow @Stebo4Life @ZEDZILLA1 @EPatron83 @DJQuinnRaynor on Twitter. Download Out The Pocket 2 hosted by DJ Scream & DJ Rocksteddy on livemixtapes.com
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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Beginning Android Programming: Acquiring Data
- The Main Thread
- Getting Off the Main Thread
- The AsyncTask
- The IntentService
- Wrapping Up
The Main Thread
The Android operation system has exactly one blessed thread authorized to change anything that will be seen by the user. This alleviates what could be a concurrency nightmare, such as view locations and data changing in one thread while a different one is trying to lay them out onscreen. If only one thread is allowed to touch the user interface, Android can guarantee that nothing vital is changed while it's measuring views and rendering them to the screen. This has, unfortunately, serious repercussions for how you'll need to acquire and process data. Let me start with a simple example.
You There, Fetch Me That Data!
Were I to ask you, right now, to download an image and display it to the screen, you'd probably write code that looks a lot like this:
public void onCreate(Bundle extra){ try{ URL url = new url("https://wanderingoak.net/bridge.png"); HttpURLConnection httpCon = (HttpURLConnection)url.openConnection(); if(httpCon.getResponseCode() != 200) { throw new Exception("Failed to connect"); } InputStream is = httpCon.getInputStream(); Bitmap bitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeStream(is); ImageView iv = (ImageView)findViewById(R.id.main_image); iv.setImageBitmap(bitmap); }catch(Exception e){ Log.e("ImageFetching","Didn't work!",e); } }
This is exactly what I did when initially faced with the same problem. While this code will fetch and display the required bitmap, there is a very sinister issue lurking in the code—namely, the code itself is running on the main thread. Why is this a problem? Consider that there can be only one main thread and that the main thread is the only one that can interact with the screen in any capacity. This means that while the example code is waiting for the network to come back with image data, nothing whatsoever can be rendered to the screen.
This image-fetching code will block any action from taking place anywhere on the device. If you hold the main thread hostage, buttons will not be processed, phone calls cannot be answered, and nothing can be drawn to the screen until you release it.
Given that a simple programmer error (like the one in the example code) could effectively cripple any Android device, Google has gone to great lengths to make sure no single application can control the main thread for any length of time. Starting in Android Honeycomb (3.0), if you open any network connections on the main thread, your application will crash. If you're hogging too much of the main thread's time with long-running operations, such as calculating pi or finding the next prime number, your application will produce this disastrous dialog box (Figure 4.1) on top of your application.
Figure 4.1 What the user sees when you hold the main thread hostage.
This dialog box is unaffectionately referred to by developers as an ANR (App Not Responding) crash. Although operations will continue in the background, and the user can press the Wait button to return to whatever's going on within your application, this is catastrophic for most users, and you should avoid it at all costs.
What Not to Do
What kind of things should you avoid on the main thread?
- Anything involving the network
- Any task requiring a read from or write to the file system
- Heavy processing of any kind (such as image or movie modification)
- Any task that blocks a thread while you wait for something to complete
Excluding this list, there isn't much left, so as a general rule, if it doesn't involve setup or modification of the user interface, don't do it on the main thread.
When Am I on the Main Thread?
Anytime a method is called from the system (unless explicitly otherwise stated), you can be sure you're on the main thread. Again, as a general rule, if you're not in a thread created by you, it's safe to assume you're probably on the main one, so be careful.


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Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty is a 2014 Bollywood action thriller film written and directed by A.R. Murugadoss, and produced by Vipul Shah. It features Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead roles, along with Govinda in a supporting role. It is a remake of the 2012 Tamil film Thuppakki which was also directed by A. R. Murugadoss.[1][2] The film released on 6 June 2014.
EnTertain Sylhet
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Mardaani (English: Masculinity or manliness) is a 2014 Hindi crime drama film directed by Pradeep Sarkar and produced by Aditya Chopra, released on 22 August 2014.[2][3] The film features Rani Mukerji[4] who learnt Krav Maga to prepare for her lead role. Jisshu Sengupta and Tahir Bhasin appear in supporting roles..........
Bangladesh vs West Indies Live Cricket Match
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Kick is a 2014 Hindi action thriller film, directed and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under the Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment banner. The film features Salman Khan in the lead role, alongside Jacqueline Fernandez, Randeep Hooda and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The film is a remake of the Telugu film of the same name, with a screenplay adapted by Nadiadwala and Chetan Bhagat, Upon release, ...........
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text: (Reuters) – The red-hot Brooklyn Nets clinched a playoff berth and continued their season turnaround with a 105-96 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Joe Johnson scored 32 points and the Nets (40-33) won their 14th consecutive home game to reach the playoffs for the second straight season. Things did not look so promising early on in the season for Brooklyn under first-year coach Jason Kidd. Kidd's leadership was questioned when the team started 10-21 through the first two months and he clashed with assistant Lawrence Frank, who was eventually demoted. But the Nets, fifth in the Eastern Conference, found their form and have momentum ahead of the playoffs.


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If we want cleaner air and a more stable climate, we need to harness energy from the sun. That's why we're calling on cities to go big on solar.
Sign up to get more involved in our work.
To continue America's progress toward renewable energy, cities, states and the federal government should adopt strong policies to make it easy for homeowners, businesses and utilities to "go solar."
The cities with the most solar PV installed per resident are the "Solar Stars" — cities with 50 or more watts of solar PV capacity installed per capita. In 2013, only eight of the cities surveyed for this report had enough solar PV per capita to be ranked as "Solar Stars," but now 23 cities have earned the title.
Honolulu leads the United States for solar power per person among cities surveyed, followed by San Diego, San Jose and Burlington, Vermont. All of the "Solar Stars" have experienced dramatic growth in solar energy and are setting the pace nationally for solar energy development.
One-third of the 57 cities surveyed in all six editions of this report more than quadrupled their installed solar PV capacity from 2013 to 2018.
Los Angeles leads the nation in total installed solar PV capacity among the 69 cities surveyed in this report; as it did from 2013 to 2015 and in 2017, after briefly being topped by San Diego in 2016. Since 2016, Los Angeles has added over 150 MW of solar capacity.
Leading solar cities can be found in every region of the country. Leaders in per capita solar capacity by census region include Honolulu in the Pacific region; Las Vegas in the Mountain region; Indianapolis in the North Central region; San Antonio in the South Central region; Washington, D.C., in the South Atlantic region; and Burlington, Vermont, in the Northeast region.
Santa Fe, New Mexico, had 19 MW of cumulative solar PV capacity installed as of the end of 2018, equivalent to 225 watts per person. That's more solar PV capacity per capita than any city on our list other than Honolulu and San Diego.
Tallahassee, Florida, has enough solar PV capacity installed (30 MW total and 157 watts per person) to be ranked as a leading "Solar Star."
Trenton, New Jersey, also has enough solar PV capacity installed to be ranked as a "Solar Star." With New Jersey's new Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, residents who cannot install their own solar panels will now be able to "go solar" by purchasing electricity from community solar projects.
Over the past few years, many states have considered or passed cuts to net metering — the critical practice of crediting solar energy customers for the excess energy they supply to the grid. Additionally, some states and utilities are now targeting solar customers with special fees, charges and rate designs in order to reduce the appeal and financial promise of installing solar panels. These changes, such as imposing demand charges and other electric bill fees only on solar customers specifically, could cause solar panel owners to pay as much for electricity as other customers, even though they consume less electricity from the grid.
Some of the cities in this report could generate hundreds of times more solar power than they do today. A National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study estimated that small building rooftops alone are technically capable of hosting enough solar energy to cover the annual electricity needs of more than 121 million American homes — about as many as exist in the U.S. Cities can go even farther by encouraging solar installations on large buildings and stand-alone utility-scale installations.
To take advantage of the nation's vast solar potential and move America toward an economy powered by 100 percent renewable energy, city, state and federal governments should adopt a series of strong pro-solar policies.
Local governments should, among other things:
State governments should, among other things:
The federal government should, among other things:
If we want cleaner air and a more stable climate, we need to harness energy from the sun. That's why we're calling on cities to go big on solar.
Sign up to get more involved in our work.


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All Mountain Men's » | All Mountain Women's »
Frontside Men's » | Frontside Women's »
Powder Men's » | Powder Women's »
Park & Pipe Men's » | Park & Pipe Women's »
Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso aren't the only two women that like going fast on perfectly groomed steeps. There are more and more females that are charging the frontside these days. Whether in the bumps, between the gates or on a boulevard of corduroy—the four skis below will keep up with you... even if your boyfriend can't. Each pair was scrutinized by female pros, patrollers, instructors and ski journalists during the OTS ski tests in [R507R, Winter Park], Colorado and [R403R, Snowbasin], Utah last season. Here's your guide to the best frontside women's boards:
#1 Goode Opus
Goode's Opus is lacking the heft of the opuses that appeared on your British Lit class syllabus. In fact, Goode kept this ski extremely lightweight by using the same carbon fiber they use for their waterskis and ski poles. Despite being a featherweight, the Opus is extremely strong and features a slight rocker and 82 mm waist that makes it at home on the groomers and in the soft stuff. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REVIEW».
#2 Volkl Tierra
The Volkl Tierra was not made for the tiara-wearing set. Rather, this ski was built for the hard-charging female skier with a carving addiction. Volkl gave the Tierra its Bio-Logic technology that puts the skier in a balanced stance and enhances flex distribution. If you're looking for a ski with outstanding edge hold on hard snow, look no further. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REVIEW».
#3 Dynastar Legend Idyll
What's idyllic for you? If it's floating atop swaths of corduroy on a blue bird day—Dynastar built this ski for you. A lightweight wood core, freeride rocker and 78 mm underfoot makes the Legend Idyll the perfect ski for making laps on the groomers. This ski is at home on hard pack but probably doesn't have the same float in soft snow that the other two Dynastar women's skis in the Exclusive collection. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REVIEW».
#4 Nordica Unknown Legend
How unknown can you be if you're a legend? How legendary can you be if you're unknown? These are a few questions Confucius might ask, but unlike you, he'll never carve beautiful turns on the Nordica Unknown Legends. This ski is equally comfortable making tight slalom turns or arcing big GS turns. Twin tip design and an 80 mm waist also makes it versatile enough for the park or the powder. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REVIEW».


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Maxim covergirl hopeful's competing on her own terms
Brandi Hansen has taken a rather unorthodox route as a contestant in the 2019 Maxim Cover Girl Canada contest.
The Penticton, B.C.-based 42-year-old single mother of two teens — including 12-year-old daughter Sienna — entered the typically-cheesecake contest with "outdoorsy photos" showing her fully-clothed while hunting, fly-fishing, hiking, doing archery and flying a plane.
It was all to make a point.
"(My daughter would) see these women on the cover of magazines and she's like, 'Mom, she's so pretty. I hope I look like her (when I get older),'" said Hansen on Tuesday.
"And so I always mention, 'Sienna, it's not what you look like, it's what's upstairs that counts.' And all of the magazines, it's always an attractive woman on the front page. And it's unattainable to our daughters. I thought this is a good opportunity to show her it's not about what you look like entirely right?"
But now, against all odds given Maxim's men's magazine mandate, Hansen has made it to the contest's semifinals, ranking first out of eight women in her group.
Voting continues until Thursday.
"I entered this on a whim," said Hansen.
"I just thought, 'We'll see where this goes. It probably won't go anywhere. I'm wearing my turtleneck!' (But) I've made it through four or five rounds now and I'm still in first place which is really surprising. I never anticipated it would go this far. If I make it to the finals then there will be 12 girls left and then they do one last public vote."
Originally from Prince George, B.C., Hansen moved to Penticton to attend flight school.
"Both of my instructors are female so they've been huge role models for me," she said.
Her goal is to get both her commercial pilot's licence and instructor's rating so she can teach others.
In fact, should Hansen win the contest, she plans to donate her $10,000 prize money to four flight school scholarships targeting girls 18-and-under, as well as B.C. Search and Rescue — of which she's been an active member for the past decade.
She will also insist on a non-traditional cover shoot.
"At the end, I'm going to anticipate that they're going to want me to strip down," said Hansen.
"(But) I would like creative freedom over the photo shoot if I was to make it. Rather than your typical backdrop of a woman in lingerie on a bed or a woman naked on the beach, I want to do a classic pin-up style — "the short shorts and the little tied up blouse" — with vintage aircraft and you're not going to find me in a bathing suit or lingerie.
"So if I get to the end and we can't reach a mutual agreement, then I walk 'cause my message is not for sale. I didn't come this far just to bend. And I'm not knocking the other girls for taking their clothes off — they're just on a different journey than me."
To vote for Hansen, visit https://ca.maximcovergirl.com/2019/brandi-hansen.


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A collection of essays exploring the theological, philosophical and social issues raised by the American television series Mad Men.
Trade Information: LGENPOD
Available as: Paperback, PDF
Specifications: 229x153mm (9x6in), 426pp
Published: October 2017
Specifications: 429pp
Published: October 2017
Centred on the lives of the employees at a Manhattan advertising firm, the television series Mad Men touches on the advertising world's unique interests in consumerist culture, materialistic desire, and the role of deception in Western capitalism. While this essay collection has a decidedly socio-historical focus, the authors use this as the starting point for philosophical, religious, and theological reflection, showing how Mad Men reveals deep truths concerning the social trends of the 1960s and deserves a significant amount of scholarly consideration. Going beyond mere reflection, the authors make deeper inquiries into what these trends say about American cultural habits, the business world within Western capitalism, and the rapid social changes that occurred during this period. From the staid and conventional early seasons to the war, assassinations, riots, and counterculture of later seasons, The Universe is Indifferent shows how social change underpins the interpersonal dramas of the characters in Mad Men.
Ann W. Duncan and Jacob L. Goodson
Part 1: Business Ethics
1. "It's the Real Thing": Identity and Sincerity in Mad Men
Howard Pickett
2. The Business of Creativity: From SCDP to the Modern Creative Enterprise
Jennifer Phillips
3. Mad Manners: Courtesy, Conflict, and Social Change
Sarah Conrad Sours
4. "All the Research Points to the Fact that Mothers Feel Guilty": Maternal Desire and the Social Construction of Motherhood in Mad Men
Ann W. Duncan
5. Supporting this World's Ballerinas: Learning from Mad Men's Female Workers
Kristen Deede Johnson
6. "If I don't go in that office every day, who am I?": Culture, Identity, and Work in Mad Men
David Matzko McCarthy
Part 2: Who is Don Draper
7. Counterculture Beatrices? Don Meets Dante
Gabriel Haley
8. "Moving Forward" as Return: The Redemptive Journey of Don Draper
Jackson Lashier
9. "You Are Okay": Donsein's Despair and Our Road to Recovery
Seth Vannatta
10. Don Draper, Double Consciousness, and the Invisibility of Blackness
Nsenga K. Burton
11. The Erotic Reduction of Don Draper: Iconicity, Idolatry, and Madness
Carole L. Baker
Part 3: Politics and Social Theory
12. Zou Bisou Bisou: Feminist Philosophy and Sexual Ethics in Mad Men
Jacob L. Goodson
13. Exitus et Reditus in Marriage: Mad Men vs. Hollywood Remarriage Comedies
Brandon L. Morgan and Jonathan Tran
14. Uneasy Bedfellows: On Pete and Trudy's Marriage
Matthew Emile Vaughan and Christopher J. Ashley
15. Mad Men, Bad Parents: Representations of Parenting in Mad Men
Susan E. Frekko
16. "I Can't Believe That's the Way God Is": Sexism, Sin, and Clericalism in Peggy's Pre-Vatican II Catholicism
Heidi Schlumpf
17. "We Don't Know What's Really Going On": Mad Men as a Bellwether of the Politics to Come
Jared D. Larson
Subject Index
Author Index
Episode Index
Ann W. Duncan (PhD, University of Virginia) is Associate Professor of Religion at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the co-editor of Church-State Issues in America Today (2007).
Jacob L. Goodson (PhD, University of Virginia) is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. He is the author of Narrative Theology and the Hermeneutical Virtues: Humility, Patience, Prudence (2015).
This exciting volume joins the growing scholarly chorus calling us to take popular culture seriously – artistically and politically, to be sure, but more daringly as vernacular philosophy and theology. In Mad Men this volume strikes gold, which its authors mine with skill, humour, and great insight. It's a book that belongs on the shelf of every student of religion and popular culture. Matthew S. Hedstrom, Associate Professor, Religious Studies and American Studies, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia
Duncan and Goodson have assembled a brilliant collection of essays that combine keen theological and philosophical insight into Mad Men. This book is a rare combination of outstanding scholarship and delightful reading. Of course, it's about Mad Men, but it's also about God, love, relationships, work, ethics, and life in the modern world. It is, in short, about everything that matters. David O'Hara, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Classics, Chair of the Department of Religion, Philosophy, and Classics, Augustana University